Yesterday’s tragic loss of life in Paris shocked the world, sparking an international outpouring of grief and solidarity with the families of the 12 employees of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, who were shot dead in their offices yesterday.
As French police continued to hunt for the gunmen, another police officer losing his life in a police raid this morning, thousands of Parisians ignored the high terror alert in place to descend on the Place de la Republique to protest the massacre by apparent militant Islamists, many holding pens, press cards and signs in defiance. The hashtag #JeSuisCharlie (meaning ‘I Am Charlie’) quickly began trending among tweeters, a rally call for supporters of free speech everywhere. The phrase also appeared at other vigils held around the world, including in London’s Trafalgar Square and Dublin’s O’Connell Street.
One of the most uplifting posts on what was a very dark day was this beautiful Instagram photograph posted by Marine Wood with the hashtag #jesuischarlie, which was quickly shared over 1,000 times all over the world.
